Chasing Naruto
by DarkQueenDraconite
Summary: Sasuke had sworn he would throw himself off a cliff before he became a fanboy. After all, he hated his fangirls. But unfortunately, Sasuke found himself reduced to one because of one Uzumaki Naruto. And that person...happened to be dating Sakura Haruno.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto is something I do not own.

_**Stuff you need to know before reading this: **_This is my first SasuNaru fic, so please offer some reviews of criticism, praise, ideas, or even flames that go along the lines of "I hate this story because Sasuke seems to OOC", etc. Also, Sasuke and Naruto are both 16, and Naruto has brought Sasuke back from Orochimaru.

**Warning**: This contains Shounen-ai.

"Hey! Hey! Sasuke!"

Uchiha Sasuke looked up, his normal apathetic expression fixed firmly on place as he watched the still-hyperactive blond, namely Uzumaki Naruto, race toward him.

"You're late." Sasuke said, arms folded in the position that made fangirls squeal. He slouched on his stool, but somehow not falling off. "You've never been late to Ichiraku's."

Coming to Ichiraku's for dinner was a tradition that both of them had silently agreed to after Naruto rescued Sasuke. After all, Sasuke did owe Naruto a whole bunch from saving him from Orochimaru's impure hands, so why not pay it back by coming to dinner with Naruto every night? And Sasuke couldn't resist spending some alone time with Naruto between spars, though the proud Uchiha would never admit it.

Naruto abruptly stopped before Sasuke. "Oops, sorry, Sasuke-teme by being late…" he apologized, smirking slightly. Sasuke almost stopped breathing when he saw how close the two were. _Damn it, it's that feeling again, _Sasuke thought grumpily. The moment was quickly ruined by Naruto, however.

"I'm so sorry, my miso ramen!" Naruto practically sobbed. Sasuke sweated as he saw Naruto on his knees, praying to a nonexistent ramen god.

Teuchi and Ayame, the owner of Ichiraku's and his daughter, only smiled benignly as they saw Naruto praying.

_Am I the only sane one around here? _Sasuke wondered.

Finally, still muttering "Miso ramen", Naruto stood up. "Ah, Sasuke!" He greeted his long time friend and rival with a huge grin, as if the praying incident—and the _lateness! _had been forgotten. Sasuke resisted the urge to smack him on the stupid grinning face.

"Dobe."

"What did you say?"

Sasuke smirked up at Naruto's mock-enraged face. "I said _dobe,_ dobe." Sasuke drawled.

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed with a mock hurt. "You hurt me so!"

The raven-haired boy simply flicked his best friend on the forehead, leaving a small bruise for later. "Whatever, dobe. Let's get something to eat."

Naruto stuck out his tongue out at Sasuke childishly, choosing the stool next to Sasuke.

Teuchi, without even being told, put a steaming bowl of miso ramen in front of Naruto.

"Ahh…" Naruto inhaled the sweet, wonderful, steam of his beloved ramen, a picture of rapture on his face. Sasuke watched him, slightly drooling, as he pictured Naruto doing that in a completely different scenario, adding a couple of groans to boot. _Oh, Kami!_ Sasuke thought as he tried to banish the thoughts from his mind. _He's my best friend! Can't risk losing him again by thinking this. Can't risk it. Can't risk it. _Finally, Sasuke got himself to calm down.

"Hey, you okay, Sasuke?" Naruto waved his hand in front of the glazed looking Sasuke.

"…mm, huh?"

Naruto sighed. "Sasuke-teme, I need to tell you something without you spacing out! Geez, I swear, were you staring at Ayame? You had a perverted look on your face like Ero-sennin!"

_Were my feelings that clear? _Sasuke thought, mortified. _Luckily, the idiot hasn't noticed that it wasn't toward Ayame yet. _He sighed in relief. "No, I wasn't. So, baka, what is it that you have to tell me?"

Naruto's face suddenly broke out in a wide grin. He didn't even seem to care that Sasuke had insulted him…again. "So…..today, I asked Sakura out!" He said excitedly.

Sasuke blinked. "Is that it? Haven't you asked her a dozen times already?" _If not more_.

"No, no, this time was different!" Naruto exclaimed. "See…this time, she said yes!" He leaned forward, his eyes wide with expectation.

"Um…that's great…" Sasuke said lamely. _Damn it, how am I supposed to think with him so close to me, staring at me?_

Naruto looked a bit disappointed. "You like Sakura-chan, Sasuke?"

_No! _"Baka! Of course I don't!" Sasuke almost yelled indignantly. _How could I like someone like her? _

"Oh, I guess it's okay for me to go out with her, then!" Naruto said happily. "Though Lee with hate me…"

"I doubt that," Sasuke said drily. "Lee's too nice to hate anyone. He'll just be jealous of the youth of you and Sakura."

Naruto cracked up. "That's…so true!" He gasped, wheezing with laughter. "Hahahahaha…ahahahaha!"

Sasuke simply stared. _Baka. _

Within seconds, though, Naruto had recovered. "I guess if it's okay with you, then I had better hurry up and go see Lee!" He wolfed down his ramen in about 8.7 seconds. Yes, Sasuke counted.

With a careless wave and a few bills on the counter, Naruto had sprinted off toward the distance, no doubt hell-bent on crushing Lee's feelings. Tonight, he was having no long chats with Sasuke. Sasuke stared after Naruto, a rather empty feeling in him that had nothing to do with his stomach. Because, only now, did he fully absorb the fact that Naruto was now going out with Sakura. _Sakura. _Sasuke had always thought that she'd always reject Naruto, but now…

Groaning, Sasuke banged his forehead against the counter, raising confused looks from Teuchi and Ayame. _Holy crapping wonderful, _he thought sarcastically. Because he had also realized another fact. He was totally head over heels for Naruto, like an idiotic puppy dog, not just lusting after him.

"Ughh…" he moaned, his ramen completely forgotten. Then-_poor Hinata_. Uchiha Sasuke almost chuckled. Misery sure did love company.

_Read and Review._


	2. Phase 1 Begins

Disclaimer: Naruto is something I do not own.

_**Stuff you need to know before reading this: **_This is my first SasuNaru fic, so please offer some reviews of criticism, praise, ideas, or even flames that go along the lines of "I hate this story because Sasuke seems to OOC", etc. Also, Sasuke and Naruto are both 16, and Naruto has brought Sasuke back from Orochimaru.

**Warning**: This contains Shounen-ai.

**A/N: I love my reviewers! Thank you, Ketsueki Kaen, Sachiel Angelo, and SilverxStarlight! **

Uchiha Sasuke woke up, feeling a huge, throbbing pain in his head. Wincing, he rubbed his eyes—_why was it so goddamn bright?—_and stumbled out of bed. "Kami…" he groaned as he saw himself in the mirror. Not even the fangirls could like him in this state, he thought wryly. His face was paler than ever, and the black hair stuck up in all different places, making him look more like Naruto than himself. An emo version of Naruto. His eyes were dull and he had huge bags under them. "I shouldn't have drunk all that sake," Sasuke thought woozily. "And I'm still underage, too."

Groaning, he buried his head in his hands. How could he have drunk so much sake? Thank Kami he had gotten home safely while drunk last night, without being assaulted by a rabid fangirl…

_Let's see, _he thought in his usual methodical manner, _let's start from the beginning to see how I could've been so idiotic…so yesterday Naruto told me he was going out with Sakura…and I went to see Tsunade right after…for what? But I remember what happened after clearly enough…I stole some of her sake and got drunk to drown my misery…but what did I see Tsunade for? _Sasuke frowned. _Think, Sasuke, think! _

Finally, Sasuke's woozy mind was able to garner some answers."I went to see her, because I needed to start my plan of capturing Naruto!" He slapped his hand to his mouth as he said that, flushing deep red. Thank Kami, once again, that he had not said that in front of a fangirl. Who knew how far the news would travel?

"So I went to ask her if there were any public events, and she said yes, there was a ball coming up…" Sasuke said out loud, trying to force himself to think. "Yes!" He shouted uncharacteristically. "I am smarter when I'm sober, after all." Smirking to himself, he went into the bathroom to make himself presentable before starting phase 1 of the plan.

"Sasuke-kun!" A shriek came from behind Sasuke as he strolled toward Team 7's meeting place.

_Why of all times? _Sasuke slowly turned his head around to see the newly-proclaimed leader of his fanclub.

She skidded to a halt, and flung her arms around his neck.

_…Disgusting. She puts on way too much perfume. Probably not training hard enough—_were the thoughts of a very disgruntled Sasuke Uchiha. _Well, at least she's not Ino. Ino would probably stab me. _

Suddenly, Sasuke did feel a stab of regret. After coming back, the only person out of the Rookie Nine who hadn't forgiven him was Ino. He couldn't forget her screaming at him—"_You hurt everyone here, including Sakura and Naruto! How could you just come back and just assume everything would be back to normal? You're not the Sasuke I knew!"_

He had remembered saying—"_You're right. I'm not the Sasuke you knew, because the Sasuke you knew never existed. He was simply your ideal."_

And while what he had said was true, Sasuke still felt abnormally guilty, because part of what Ino had said was true. No one had truly forgiven him for betraying them all, not even Naruto. If Naruto had forgiven him, Naruto would laugh more around him, he'd challenge Sasuke more and be closer to Sasuke. No…none of his old friends could trust him yet. Sasuke wanted to change that. He wanted to prove himself to everyone and earn Naruto's true respect…and possibly…

"No, don't think that way!" He said out loud. _I can't get my hopes up. _

"Huh?" The leader of his fanclub said, still clinging to him. "Oh, Sasuke-kun, you know I love you!"

"…Get off." And he pushed her squealing figure off, rolling his eyes at the "Sasuke-kun, wait for me!" behind him. People like her would never be able to understand him. When he said he wanted to be left alone, _he meant it._

"Hello, Sasuke!" Sakura greeted him warmly as he strolled up to Team 7's meeting place, but with no love in her eyes when she saw him, only the eyes acknowledging a teammate. "Ohayo." He said shortly.

"Sakura! Sasuke!" Naruto shouted happily, bounding toward them from the distance. Sasuke noticed Sakura rolling her eyes affectionately at the hyperactive blond, and felt horribly jealous.

Taking advantage of the fact that he and Sakura were alone for about 30 seconds still, he quickly turned to her.

"Huh? Sasuke?" Sakura turned to him, a confused look on her face.

_Time for Phase 1 to begin. Sorry, Sakura. _"Hey, Sakura, can you come with me to the International Ball in two weeks?" _Say yes, say yes, say yes!_

Sakura looked flabbergasted. "A-ano, Sasuke, I'm going out with Naruto now…" her face was uncertain, but also guarded at the same time.

Sasuke almost punched himself. He should choose his words better! "Just as friends." He added.

Sakura's face cleared up, luckily. "Oh! That's fine then. But, Sasuke, I didn't know you liked going to balls…"

"Uh, uh…" Sasuke tried to think of an explanation. "I, uh, I mean, Tsunade-sama is making me go to a few public events to prove that I'm trustworthy before she'll let me go on missions again."

That was true. Sasuke had been on a sort of "probation" once he had gotten back. But, he decided not to tell her that he could choose whatever public event he wanted. Luckily, Sakura seemed to swallow up his story.

"Sure, I'll go with you, _just as friends."_ Sakura relented, but emphasizing "just as friends."

_Whew. Sakura's gotten tougher over the years…_ Sasuke pondered. _She doesn't like me anymore, but that's a good thing. _"Good." He said out loud. Phase 1 was successful. Sasuke let out a tiny smirk of relief, until, of course, he was nearly knocked over by his exuberant blond crush.

_**Hmm…what's Sasuke-teme's plan? Review to find out!**_


	3. Manipulation

Disclaimer: Naruto is something I do not own.

_**Stuff you need to know before reading this: **_This is my first SasuNaru fic, so please offer some reviews of criticism, praise, ideas, or even flames that go along the lines of "I hate this story because Sasuke seems to OOC", etc. Also, Sasuke and Naruto are both 16, and Naruto has brought Sasuke back from Orochimaru.

**Warning**: This contains Shounen-ai.

**A/N: My motivation for this chapter? SilverxStarlight, Ketsueki Kaen, yokonoko, Sachiel Angelo, and casper.**

**From the last chapter…**

_Whew. Sakura's gotten tougher over the years… Sasuke pondered. She doesn't like me anymore, but that's a good thing. "Good." He said out loud. Phase 1 was successful. Sasuke let out a tiny smirk of relief, until, of course, he was nearly knocked over by his exuberant blond crush._

_**Now…Chapter 3: Phase 1, Part 2**_

"Saa-kura-chan!" Naruto sang loudly as he danced in front of the pink-haired shinobi.

Sakura smiled at him in an affectionate, annoyed, way, and smacked him on the head. "Don't be so loud, baka!" She said.

"Ow!" Naruto groaned, holding his head, which had a lump sprouting magically from it. "And our date was so awesome last night too, dattebayo!"

Sasuke felt like retching. Naruto and Sakura together were just so _wrong. _It was too happy, too gleeful…

_Kuso, _Sasuke thought. _Why can't Naruto be like that around me? Sakura's never been nice to him, as far as I've seen._

Sasuke watched in dismay and envy as Naruto made a comment about Sakura PMS-ing and got smashed into a wall as a result. _This sucks, _Sasuke thought gloomily. _I need to hurry up Phase 1. _

Luckily, Sasuke was saved from further depression as Kakashi poofed from in front of him, holding a DVD reverently in his hands.

"Ano…Kakashi-sensei, what is that?" Sakura asked curiously.

"This is…" Kakashi said melodramatically, cradling the DVD like a newborn child. "The DVD version of Icha-Icha Paradise, of course!"

Sasuke and Sakura collapsed. "B-but Kakashi-sensei, you already have 5 copies of Icha-Icha Paradise on DVD!" Naruto whimpered, extricating himself from the wall. Sasuke pitied the poor boy as he watched. This would be the first of many "wall extrications" of the day. Honestly, Sasuke hated Sakura sometimes.

Kakashi smiled brightly as they entered the subject of "Icha Icha".

"Well, this has a new special feature! It features a deleted sex scene!" He proudly proclaimed.

"…"

"…"

"…"

Kakashi looked at his students' not-so-thrilled faces, and sweat-dropped. "Well, let's get going, shall we?" He said brightly, taking off toward the training grounds.

"That man gets more perverted by the minute," Sakura seethed.

For once, Sasuke agreed with her. Now, if _Naruto _had been one of the actors for the deleted scene, he would've bought the DVD. And killed the other actor/actress.

But now, he could get close to Naruto, even if it was only sparring. Sasuke licked his lips in a creepy Orochimaru fashion before correcting himself. Uh-oh. Hopefully, he would not pick up any other habits from the snake, like being a pedophile.

**~During Training~**

"RASENGAN!"

"CHIDORI!"

The boys smashed their respective chakra balls together, creating an almighty explosion.

"Ha!" Naruto cheered. "My rasengan was more powerful that time!"

"In your dreams, dobe." Sasuke taunted teasingly. "I didn't want to hurt you, after all."

"Teme…!" Naruto growled, before pouncing on him.

They wrestled for a few seconds, executing a few taijutsu moves on the ground. Sasuke smiled to himself. _This _was where he belonged, next to Naruto.

"Gotcha!" Naruto crowed, slamming his knee into Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke blinked—and vanished.

"Replacement!" Naruto said, shocked.

"Above you, dobe!" Sasuke plunged toward the earth, slamming into Naruto.

"Oof!" Naruto grunted.

"I win." Sasuke said smugly, holding a kunai to Naruto's throat.

"Hmph." Naruto said. "I went easy on you, that's all!"

"You wish," Sasuke scoffed.

"Eep!" Naruto made a squeaking sound.

"Huh?" Sasuke finally realized his position, and he stared down at Naruto's red face. _Crap! I'm on top of him! _Sasuke's cheeks tinged slightly pink, and countless dirty thoughts raced through his mind. Onyx eyes met cerulean, and for a moment, there was silence.

Naruto's mouth was slightly parted as he stared at Sasuke. Sasuke almost leaned down—and realized what he was doing.

Cursing, he leapt off Naruto, who looked slightly bewildered. _Shit! I almost kissed him! And…_

Sasuke looked down at his lower region. _I can't lose control like that again. _Quivering with rage as well as excitement at what just happened, he stalked away to hopefully calm his lower region down.

Naruto stared after his best friend and rival. _What just happened? _Was all Naruto could think.

"I need to do Phase 1 fast." Sasuke mumbled. "I need to get my mind off…" and so Sasuke quit training for the day, and walked to another training ground.

**~A few minutes later~**

"My rival!" A certain spandex-wearing member of Team Gai ran up to Sasuke with inhuman speed. "What brings you here?"

"Aha!" Gai-sensei rumbled, sprinting toward them as well. "Have you come to join the prime of youth session? Lee needs a bit of cheering up as well."

"Yes!" Lee shot his fist up in the air, eyes blazing with fire. "Come, Sasuke-kun! Let's embrace ourselves and run 200 laps around Konoha for warmup!" Neji and Tenten shook their heads with exasperation in the background.

Sasuke sweat-dropped. "Um…actually, Lee, I came to ask you a question."

Lee's fire suddenly disappeared. "Oh! Please say it, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke regarded Lee. The boy was obviously not as happy as he usually was—the news from Naruto, no doubt, had crushed him.

"I just wanted to know if you're going to be free in two weeks," Sasuke said casually.

"Me?" Lee's face fell. "No, we have a three-week-long mission starting next week."

"Oh, I see," Sasuke said, disappointed.

"May I know why?" Lee asked intently.

Sasuke wracked his brains. "…A reunion." He said coolly, but on the inside, his heart was pounding. It was very disconcerting to think when a bushy-browed round-eyed bowl-cut boy was staring at you intently.

"Oh…" Lee said. Then—"Sasuke-kun! You have finally embraced the springtime of youth! You are finally beginning to become social!"

And so Sasuke found himself in the middle of a group hug consisting of him, Gai, and Lee.

Extricating himself from the position as gently as he could, he quickly hurried off. He'd been traumatized, and still no closer from where he started. _…Damn._

_Hmm…I wonder where I should search next, _he thought. _Team 8 trains not far from here…I'll see if I can persuade one of them…_

**~One Minute Later~**

"Sasuke." Kurenai addressed him, looking surprised. "Is there something you'd like?"

"Can I speak with Kiba?"

She nodded. A second later, Akamaru, with Kiba riding on him, came bounding into view. "Sasuke?" Kiba asked, looking puzzled.

"Yeah. Can I speak to you in private?"

Kiba regarded him warily. "…Okay, I guess."

The two sat cross-legged in the middle of a clearing, an awkward silence between them.

"Look…" Sasuke said uncomfortably. "I just want you to know that I'm grateful that you tried to get me back all those years ago."

Kiba's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Uchiha Sasuke was thanking _him? _

"You're welcome…" Kiba said. "But you know, it's because you're a Leaf Shinobi, like us…"

Sasuke laughed shortly. "I know. I was a jerk back then."

Kiba laughed. "No kidding!"

And the atmosphere eased somewhat, and Sasuke cracked a smile.

"Hey, you're kind of like Naruto, you know," Sasuke said casually.

Kiba laughed. "As if! If I was like him, then Hina—oops!"

Sasuke laughed as well. "You should just get an orange jumpsuit."

"That's the most disgusting color there is." Kiba said distastefully. "It might be okay on Naruto, but…"

Sasuke agreed silently. _He _would never wear orange, but orange reflected Naruto's sunny disposition.

"Do you think you'll still be in Konoha in two weeks?" Sasuke asked, heart thumping. Here was the question again.

Kiba yawned. "Yeah, probably. Kurenai's training us in genjtusu a lot so we won't have too many missions in the next month…why?"

"Ah, we should have a reunion."

Kiba eyed him. Then he smiled. "Sasuke, I think that maybe you are changing for the better." And he patted Sasuke on the shoulder and left him alone there.

And Sasuke was left with a rather guilty feeling in his chest. Kiba and Lee seemed to think he was changing, but he was doing all of this for himself…he was a good manipulator, just like Itachi. And Sasuke's heart clenched up. _I'm doing this for me and Naruto, but other people get affected, and Naruto and I don't. What should I do?_

_**~End of Chapter 3~**_

_**What Phase 1 of Sasuke's plan really is will be revealed in the next chapter! Review!**_


	4. Sasuke's Phase 1 is Revealed!

Disclaimer: Naruto is something I do not own.

**A/N: No more Shounen-ai warnings! If you're up to here, I suppose you're interested enough in the story to see what's happening. And if you're reading, do review. Please? It makes us writers happy to see that other people are encouraging us or offering us advice, or even telling us flat-out "this part is wrong".**

_**Okay, on to gratitude! I'm being sappy here, but I love you, Ketsueki Kaen and Sachiel Angelo, my loyal reviewers. And you too, Sasunaru BIGGEST fan! Do come and read and review again! Also, a big thank you to the people who have faved this and alerted it. I'm glad people are interested in this story.**_

**~Chapter 4: Phase 1~**

Uchiha Sasuke never felt more like an idiot his whole life. His so-called "plan" of Operation: Capture Naruto had so many gaping holes, it'd be a miracle if it were to carry out smoothly. _Kami, what happened to my so called intelligence?_ He thought to himself, grimacing slightly. A snide voice answered him inside his head. _Wiped away from pedophilic Orochimaru, that's what happened. _

"Oh, shut up." He grumbled out loud. That voice reminded of Sakura's alter ego. Yes, he knew she had one. He was, after all, the most observant male other than Shikamaru. "I didn't ask for you to butt in." He heard his "Inner Sasuke" snort.

That did it. Not only did Naruto have no romantic feelings toward him, but he was beginning to go crazy as well.

_Can't you just leave me in peace? I never asked you to come out._

_ Hardy-har-har. _His inner Sasuke snorted. _You're a pathetic, stupid, loser that can't even get your even stupider friend to like you._

_ What did you say?_

_ You heard me._

_ Anyways, what are you doing in my mind? Go bug Shikamaru or something._

_ Sasuke-kun, have you gotten so stupid that you can't even realize this is _your _voice inside your head? It's been here forever, and you always knew it was your voice. _

_ It's not my voice. It's the voice of what Itachi would say to me._

_ Exactly! And you've always taken me seriously, haven't you?_

Sasuke grunted. _What do you mean?_

_ I'm the one who's telling you to be strong, to hate, and that you need to kill your best friend. But nooo, you just have to be weak enough to fall for an idiot. A guy, too._

Sasuke tried in vain to push the voice out of his head. Kami, it was like having a demon inside his head. And yet he knew it was just his own negative thoughts about himself gathering themselves up and attacking him.

Sasuke repressed the urge to shriek. "I'm slowly going insane…" he muttered.

"Is that so?"

"What the—" Sasuke leapt up, automatically gripping a kunai. Then he saw it was only Naruto.

_Only _Naruto. Yeah right. _Only _Naruto was the boy of his dreams hanging upside down on the tree that _he, _Uchiha Sasuke, had been occupying.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke abruptly said, stowing his kunai away.

"Weelll, I'm bored!" Naruto said, practically bouncing with energy. "So I thought to visit you, Sasuke!"

"I see…" Sasuke drawled, though he was secretly pleased. Naruto had sought him out? But more importantly, he needed to know how Naruto had found him. He was nowhere close to the Uchiha Compound after all. He was just sitting on top of a random tree in a random park. "How did you find me?"

"Oh, that was easy! I just used Gamakichi to track you down. He's actually pretty good at tracking."

"…" A frog had tracked _him_, Uchiha Sasuke, down? _I must be losing my touch_. He thought sullenly.

_ Well, at least, he doesn't have the ability to pop up right next to me whenever he wants_. Sasuke thought privately. _It'd get rather nasty if he saw me in the shower moaning his name._

Sasuke jerked himself out of the rather steamy thoughts he was having, to see Naruto waving his hand in front of his face, looking impatient.

"Hey, what's up with you?" Naruto asked, looking slightly concerned. "You've just been zoning out."

"I haven't." Sasuke managed to say those words without betraying emotion. "I was just trying to think, but you keep interrupting, _dobe._" As soon as he said those words, though, Sasuke wanted to take them back.

Naruto started snarling. "What the hell? I'm trying to be friendly, but you just have to push your best friend away! Fine, you don't want to talk? Then I'll just go home and prepare for my date with Sakura-chan!"

_Crap! _Sasuke hastily rearranged his features in what he hoped was a smile. "Sorry, Naruto…" he said, biting those words out. Kami, how he hated apologizing. "Look, I'll treat you to Ichiraku's, alright?"

At those words, Naruto's face showed surprise. "Really? That's great!" And he pulled Sasuke to his feet. "Let's get going, then!"

And as Sasuke followed, he couldn't help feeling rather gloomy, though he should've been happy. First, he was supposedly just a best friend to Naruto, nothing more. Naruto hadn't hinted at anything else, and he knew if Naruto had romantic feelings, Naruto would show it. Also, this would be the third date with Sakura in two weeks. Why did Naruto have to like her so much?

They arrived at the ramen stand a couple of minutes later, and ordered their respective meals. It was approaching evening by now.

Naruto smiled happily as he wolfed down his ramen. "This is my snack before dinner with Sakura-chan!"

_Snack…? _It was a huge bowl of ramen, even bigger than Sasuke's dinner.

"A bit early for dinner, don't you think?" Sasuke asked casually as he ate his noodles in a refined way.

"Yeah…" Naruto said. "But Sakura-chan has something to do tonight, so we'll just have to eat earlier."

_Ah! _Sasuke suddenly remembered. _The ball's tonight, and Sakura's going! Crap, crap. I have to hurry. _

Both of them finished their food fast. "I got to go." They said in synchronization.

They blinked. "JINX!" Naruto suddenly shouted. "Knock on wood!" And he rapped his knuckles on the wooden surface on the counter.

Sasuke smirked. "What kind of foolish joke is that?"

Naruto smirked even harder. "Now, Sasuke…you now owe me a free meal."

"WHAT?" At this rate, Sasuke's wallet would be depleted.

"Since I said "jinx, knock on wood" first, you have to do something I ask."

"How idiotic." Sasuke grumbled. But he knew Naruto would whine and wheedle at him if he didn't agree, and he didn't want to waste any more time. "Whatever. Let's just go."

"Yatta!" Naruto cheered, as he sped off toward his apartment.

_Now, why did I fall in love with him? _Sasuke mused as he raced toward Uchiha Compound.

A few minutes later, he arrived. "Phone, phone." He said impatiently as he raced around. _Kami, this had better work. _

Finally, he managed to dial the correct numbers into the phone and listened to it ring.

"Moshi-moshi?" It was a woman's voice speaking.

"This is Uchiha Sasuke speaking. May I speak with Kiba?"

"Yeah, sure…" Sasuke heard the woman shout "KIBA!" as she dropped the phone.

He breathed a sigh of relief. This was good.

"Yeah?" Kiba was on the phone.

"Hey Kiba, it's Sasuke."

"Sasuke?" There was a tone of surprise in his voice. "Is there something you want?"

Sasuke pretended to cough dramatically, and make his breathing harsh and ragged.

"Sasuke?" Kiba sounded alarmed. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah…I'm fine." Sasuke pretended to have just recovered from a coughing fit. "Listen, Kiba…I think I picked up the flu."

"That sucks. Is there something you need?"

"Yeah…I was supposed to go to a ball tonight."

"Ouch. With who?"

"Sakura."

"So….?"

"Can you go in my place? Please?" Sasuke pretended to cough violently again.

"Dude…I'm sure that's not right. I mean, Sakura would want to go with you."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He had heard that Kiba was in desperate need for a girlfriend, but Kiba sounded adamant in not going.

"Kiba, I apologize for the inconvenience, but I can't go in my state."

"But seriously, Sasuke, why don't you just tell Sakura?"

"She's on a date with Naruto right now."

There was a silence. "Alright, I'll go. I need some fun, anyways. Right, Akamaru?"

"Arf arf!"

_Thank Kami. _"Okay, it's in Tsunade's ballroom."

"Okay, I guess I'll go. What time is it?"

"7:00."

"Good. Maybe there'll be a couple of hot chicks there, huh, Akamaru? They all love you. I need a social life after spending so much time gathering bugs with Shino."

Sasuke decided to cut into Kiba's conversation with Akamaru. "Oh, be sure to dress nice, okay?"

Kiba didn't seem to listen. "Nice idea, Akamaru!"

Sasuke sighed, and dropped the phone. Kami, he hoped this would work out.

_**That Sasuke…setting up Sakura with Kiba. Hmm, can you guess why Kiba was converted so easily? Leave a review!**_

_**Ja ne!**_


	5. A Fight With Naruto

Disclaimer: Naruto is something I do not own. Really! You'd think I didn't have to say this for the fifth time…

_**A/N: I can't express my thanks enough for my reviewers who've stuck with me all this time. Sachiel Angelo, Ketsueki Kaen, and SilverxStarlight. Also, I'm thrilled all day when new reviewers come in and encourage, like Always-Aftermath and Katzenmond. **_

_**Cookies for you all! *Wipes tear from eye***_

**~Chapter 5: Phase 2~**

As Sasuke restlessly paced around the gloomy Uchiha manor, he could only think of one thing—would Sakura like Kiba? Sasuke had planned to have Lee go with Sakura to the lovey-dovey ball, but Kiba might be even better. After all, he was more like Naruto than Lee was. As Sasuke rounded a corner, he could've sworn he saw a flash of pink.

He blinked. Pink? Moving? All he could think of was Sakura. _She had better have went, _he thought grimly. _It'd be bad if she showed now._

Half an hour later, his doorbell rang. His mind went on overdrive. _This is bad! _He thought, panicking. _What if she decided to see if I was coming, and didn't go at all? Or worse, she ditched Kiba because she knew what I was doing?_ Summoning all of his Uchiha courage, he composed his face into a stoic mask and opened the door.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke practically sagged with relief. It was Naruto outside the door! Mission: Success.

"Naruto?" He feigned confusion.

Naruto was staring at him. If Sasuke had been a lesser man, he would've fidgeted. But, Uchihas were not supposed to fidget. So he just stood there, a slight blush tinting his pale cheeks.

"Um…" Naruto said.

Sasuke's heart pounded. Why was Naruto looking at him like that? Could it be…?

"Why are you wearing a terry cloth robe, Sasuke?"

Sasuke face-palmed. "I'm sick…isn't that why you're here?" As soon as he said that, he wanted to take it back. _Why did I say that? What if he figures it out?_

Apparently, though, Naruto lived up to his name of "Most Oblivious".

"It's not my fault!" He whined. "Shizune made me come; she said Tonton heard from Akamaru that you were sick!"

_Ah, so that's what the flash of pink was. Tonton the pig. _Sasuke thought. _Thanks, Shizune. _"I don't need your help." Sasuke told Naruto brusquely.

Naruto, however, shook his head stubbornly. "Shizune said that you were really sick! Akamaru told Tonton that you were coughing all over the place and that you had the flu. So she told me that I had a D-rank mission, and that was to help you."

Sasuke smirked. "If it's a mission, then, I guess I can't dissuade you. Come in." Mentally, he sighed with relief. Phase 2 was going well.

Naruto stepped into the hall, looking around with awe. "Whoa…this is a really nice place, Sasuke." And indeed, it was. The Uchiha Compound never failed to impress, with its huge gardens and stately manor.

"Whatever. Do your mission, and help me."

Naruto eyed him. "I can't believe I have to help you…" he muttered. "Even if it's a mission…I mean, you have tons of fangirls willing to help you!"

Sasuke winced inwardly. Fangirls? And him? Alone in a house? No thank you.

"Look, I don't want you to help me either, but it can't be helped." Sasuke said brusquely.

And he walked away, pretending to cough a bit.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Naruto caught up to him moments later. "Whoa…is this your room?" He gaped at Sasuke's huge room, with windows covering three walls, so Sasuke could admire the view. "It's the size of my whole apartment!"

Sasuke ignored him, and slid into his bed. "Once you've finished admiring everything, get us two cups of tea, will you? The kitchen is two doors down, to the right, and the tea packets are on the top shelf."

Naruto turned to him, scowling. "Fine, fine. But understand—I'm only doing this because of my mission!"

Sasuke smirked. "I'm sure."

Naruto stomped away, huffing. But he returned soon. "Here you go." He announced, clattering the tea onto Sasuke's drawer.

"Thanks." Sasuke sipped his tea leisurely, while Naruto slurped his down in one go.

"Hm, this is good!" Naruto exclaimed. But then, he set down his teacup. "Sasuke…I wanted to ask you a question."

"Hm?"

"Are you sorry that you left Konoha to go to that slimy bastard's place?"

Sasuke sat up abruptly. He hadn't expected this question so soon. He thought about it, keeping his eyes on his cup.

"No."

"WHAT?" Naruto stood up, looking livid. "Then why did you come back?"

"There was nothing left to learn at his place."

Naruto forced himself onto Sasuke's bed. "How could you say that? You don't regret that you made Sakura-chan cry, and made everyone worry? You don't regret that Neji, Chouji, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Fuzzy Brows almost died for you?

"I told you before. I knew what I was doing."

"That's a lie! I had to rescue you!"

"That's true. But like I said, I am an avenger. I don't regret going, because I learned many jutsus I wouldn't have learned here."

Naruto looked outraged. "How-how could you say something like that? So you're going to leave again?"

"Most likely not."

"But…you said…"

"Haven't you been listening? I went to a legendary Sannin, and learned all I could from him. There is probably no one else out there that can match his power, except…" Sasuke's eyes clouded. "Akatsuki. So I'll stay here in Konoha, make ANBU, and be able to go on missions and train to defeat my brother."

Naruto was silent. "So…you didn't come back for us? The people of Konoha?"

"The people of Konoha? Like they need me." _But…I came back for you. And don't you understand, I'm not going to leave again?_

Naruto shook with rage. "Teme! And we all thought you were starting to change. You-you asshole!"

Sasuke started to feel rage himself. "I didn't ask you to come butting into my affairs! Worry about yourself, for a change!"

"Worry about myself? If I didn't worry about you, you'd probably be sexually assaulted by now!"

"Like I would've let him!" Sasuke roared.

"You would've!"

"Shut up, dobe!"

Naruto leaned over, and grabbed Sasuke by the scruff of his neck. "You still are the power-hungry, stupid, teme, I've known all these years!" His eyes burned.

"And you're still the dumb, dead last idiot I've known all these years!"

Sasuke shoved Naruto off him. "You don't understand anything at all!"

"Yeah? I understand enough, all right!"

Sasuke kicked him. Hard. "Baka!"

Naruto doubled over. When he looked up, his eyes were flinty steel. "If you weren't sick, I'd kick your ass!" He growled. And he stomped out of the room, slamming the door. "I don't care about the mission!" He yelled. "Teme!"

And Sasuke heard the front door slam as well. Then, he realized, that he was crying. He looked at the shining spots on his hands with a sort of apathy, and clenched his fists.

Stupid, stupid, Naruto. Why did he have to fall in love with him?

_**Sasuke's plan has a bump. A big one. What'll happen next? Poor SasuNaru fans…go on, review, and maybe you'll a cookie and a happy chapter next time!**_


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